Til My Last Day
by NoOneGetsIt
Summary: They'd been home alone before. No big deal. But what happens when something goes wrong this time, with only the two of them home, trapped in the basement with a psychopath just upstairs?
1. Chapter 1

"How many times are you going to attempt to make this prank and fail before you give up?" Dr. Colosso asked me.

"I'm not going to fail this time! I need to get my revenge on Phoebe for putting pink dye in my special shampoo!" I said to the rabbit, not looking up from my desk. "She should just be glad that it washed out quickly. But this is the perfect time to get back at her with Mom, Dad, Billy, and Nora visiting our aunt for the week."

"You're still gonna fail." Dr. Colosso continued to torment and doubt me, but I just zoned him out. You don't turn into the world's best villain if you decide to listen to a talking rabbit.

I was so focused on my work I almost missed the blaring alarm coming from my newly installed alert system. I had to put one in after the last time Phoebe had her friends over and they almost discovered my lair. I wouldn't let that happen again, so I made a device that hides everything that could get us exposed, including the button upstairs that opens the top of my slide, which means the only way to get down here was the back staircase. I went over and moved the panel above Dr. Colosso's cage and pressed the button, which immediately hid almost everything in my lair, including the rabbit who was still babbling on about how I was going to fail.

I went back to my desk and continued scheming for the prank, since I could only use my laptop to look stuff up.

I heard the door slam upstairs. Assuming it was just Phoebe letting one of her dumb friends in, I ignored it and went back to my work. Girls can be so dumb sometimes and I so don't want to be near them if they get into one of their weird talks. They were probably only talking about the hottest guys in school, or what they were planning on wearing the rest of the week, or some other thing girls talk about.

I couldn't hear anyone talking upstairs, so I ended up forgetting anyone else was even in the house. That is until I almost fell off my chair when I heard an ear splitting scream.

"Phoebe?!" I started running towards the stairs, occasionally yelling out Phoebe's name. I didn't hear anything when I got into the living room, and my twin wasn't answering my shouts so I just assumed she was in her room with her friend and the scream was because of some new magazine article or something. But I still had to go up and make sure nothing else was going on.

I got upstairs and stood in front of Phoebe's door. "Phoebe, what's going on? Did you scream?" I asked through the door since it was locked and I couldn't get in. I didn't get a reply for a moment, but then a shaky voice came through the door, just loud enough for me to hear.

"Everything's fine Max, just go back to your room."

"But didn't you hear a scream?" I replied, still confused.

"No. You're just imagining things. Now go," her voice was shakier than before. I could tell she was worried about something, but there was still a slight edge to her voice that said I should listen.

"Well, all right then," I replied, more to myself, as I turned on my heel and walked back down to my own room.

I sat back where I had previously been, with my back to the stairs. I tried to go back to what I was doing but there was something weird with what just happened. Phoebe's voice was off and wouldn't have been shaky if she was just talking to me with her friend in the room. Maybe she just had a problem at school, someone made fun of her for being a nerd, or maybe she was rejected by one of her crushes. But either way, why was her door locked? She rarely locks her door, I can't even remember the last time it was locked.

There was a tone in Phoebe's voice that isn't usually there either. I've never heard it before, so I couldn't tell exactly what it was. Frustration maybe? Anxiety? Or maybe even…fear?

I was so deep in thought that I didn't hear the slight creak of the basement door opening and closing, the light creak of not one but two pairs of feet walking down the stairs. I didn't notice until I was drawn from my thoughts by a terrified voice behind me, barely above a whisper.

"Max?" my twin breathed out. It sounded like she was on the verge of tears. As I slowly turned around, I almost passed out right then and there, because there stood my sister.

White as a ghost.

With a man I've never seen before in my life holding her tight around the waist in front of him.

With the barrel of a gun pressed against the side of her head.


	2. Chapter 2

"I can't believe my prank on Max worked!" I told into my phone, with Cherry on the other end. "I mean I know he's gonna get revenge, but nothing will beat having his hair pink for the weekend!" I was still super pumped that my plan worked.

"That's great, Pheebs. I really wish I could have seen it. But I have a feeling he's gonna do something really bad to get back at you. Like, pour water on you when you're sleeping or something," Cherry replied. She would think of the lamest thing.

"I highly doubt he'll do that but…" I started to respond, but I heard a door slam downstairs. What is Max up to? "Umm, I gotta go Cherry. I'll call you later." Without waiting for her reply, I hung up and walked downstairs to see why Max slammed the door.

"Max, what are you doing?" I called out when I got to the living room, but I didn't see him or anything unusual. I looked around for a second, then just decided to go back to my room and then I'd call Cherry back.

Once upstairs, I was about to close my door when I heard someone walking up the stairs, very slowly, as if to try and sneak up on me. Knowing it was just Max getting his revenge on me, I stopped and said, "Okay if you're trying to sneak up on me it isn't going to work."

I never got a reply, and when I turned it wasn't Max that I saw five feet away from me. It was a man I'd never seen before, staring blankly at me, with a gun at his side. I let out an ear piercing scream, which might not have been the best idea since a guy that broke in the house was standing in front of me with a gun.

I was hoping Max would hear me and come see what was going on, but my scream stopped when the man closed the space between us and cupped a hand over my mouth with one hand and held the gun to my head with the other.

"If you don't want a hole in your head, walk backwards into your room and don't make another sound," the man growled at me. I immediately complied, not wanting to anger the man further and see what he would do.

Once we both were in my room, he closed and locked my door, letting go of me, then turned and kept the gun pointed at my head.

"Now listen," he said to me in a low voice, which was more like a growl. "I know your brother is here and I know he heard your scream. So he's most likely coming up here now to see what happened. You need to tell him to go back to his room and that everything is fine."

"Phoebe?!" I heard his faint call, probably from the living room. My eyes were wide and I'm pretty sure I was shaking, terrified of what was going to happen.

"And I swear to God I will kill you and your brother immediately if you mention you're being held at gunpoint," the man finished right as I heard my twins footsteps come to a stop outside my door.

I heard him fumble with the doorknob, then his muffled voice through the door call out, "Phoebe, what's going on? Did you scream?"

At first, I was too shocked to even try to answer, but the guy saw me hesitate and took a step towards me, raising the gun. I replied as steadily as possible. "Everything's fine Max, just go back to your room."

"But didn't you hear a scream?"

I needed him to leave, so I simply stated, "No. You're just imagining things. Now go." My voice slightly cracked, but I hope Max will just listen and leave. The man hadn't moved and kept his eyes trained right on mine. I stood as still as possible, but it's hard when you're scared out of your mind.

I heard a mumbled reply from outside my door, but couldn't make out the words that were said. I was slightly relieved when I could hear Max's footsteps retreating back down the stairs, finally listening to me to leave. The man must have heard them, too, because he lowered the gun, but started to walk towards me.

"I was hoping I could just deal with both of you separately, but since the 'villain' knows something's up, I guess I'll just have to do this with the both of you," the man stated after a minute, which felt like hours. "Now listen, and listen carefully. I'm going to hold on to you to make sure you don't do anything stupid or try to run away. You are going to be in front of me and will lead us into your brothers room, which I believe is in the basement?"

I wasn't expecting him to phrase it as a question so I wasn't ready to answer. Quite frankly I could barely listen since I was staring down the barrel of a gun. But after he took another menacing step towards me I nodded quickly to answer the question and tried to blink back tears.

"Good. Now let's go." He quickly grabbed my arm and pushed me in front of him, grabbing my waist and pulling me close to him. "Unlock the door and leave it open. Walk as quietly as possible so he doesn't know anyone is coming."

I did as the man said, not wanting to push him to doing anything drastic. I'm surprised I could walk down the stairs without falling, considering my legs felt like noodles.

When we got to Max's door, I opened it slowly. There was a slight creak, and the man tightened his grip on my waist when the noise occurred. I winced, scared that the creaking angered the man too much, but he ended up just slightly shoving me forward, a signal to start walking down the stairs.

I saw Max sitting at his computer with his back towards us. I wasn't sure if the man was going to say something, or if he wanted me to, or if he was just going to wait for Max to turn. But when his arm tightened around my waist again I knew I should get my twins attention.

"Max?" My voice was just loud enough to be heard, and my tears were about to fall because the coldness of the gun was pressed to the side of my head. One wrong move and my life was over.

I could tell Max was stunned. He turned towards us slowly and looked like he was going to pass out. His mouth was slightly open, his eyes wide and stunned. We stood there staring at each other for a few seconds, some tears escaping my eyes.

"Phoebe…" Max breathed out, at a loss for words. I couldn't respond, I just stood there shaking and crying. I could barely even think straight.

Before I knew it, the man behind me released his arm from around my waist and pushed me towards my brother. I ended up stumbling, and if it weren't for Max catching me I'd be on the ground. He helped me straighten up and, keeping a hand on my right shoulder, pushed me slightly behind him. I have to admit, Max can get really annoying, but he definitely turns into the protective brother every sister needs.

The man pointed the gun to the floor, but kept both hands on it so he was ready to use it if he wanted to.

"Hah, how cute," he spit out. "The 'villain' trying to be the perfect, protective brother when someone threatens your sisters life."

"What do you want?" Max asked, as threateningly as he could.

"What do I want? Hah, you wanna know what I want? I want to teach you both a lesson," the man replies. What does he mean by teach us a lesson? He broke into our house and is holding us at gunpoint! That's not exactly a lesson!

Max took a step forward, and the man raised his gun, which made Max freeze in mid step. He put his hands up in front of him. I would have copied my twin, but I can't move. Some tears continue to run down my cheeks as I can't take my eyes away from the situation in front of me.

"Don't move. Don't do anything stupid or I'll make you regret it," the man said through clenched teeth.

The next moment happened in the blink of an eye. I saw Max's finger twitch slightly. He then lunged towards the man, but the second he moved a bang rang throughout the room.

My ears were ringing.

More tears ran down my face.

Pain shot through my body, and I collapsed to the ground.


	3. Chapter 3

After the man pushed Phoebe towards me, I knew I had to try and keep her safe. I saw her stumble and quickly reached out to steady her. I pushed her behind me. The man can do whatever he wants to me, but hurting my twin is crossing the line.

"Hah, how cute," the man snarled. "The 'villain' trying to be the perfect, protective brother when someone threatens your sisters life."

Really? That's what he says?! And how does he know I'm a villain? What else does he know about us? My anger reached its maximum though. This lunatic needs to get out of the house.

"What do you want?" I asked him, but it didn't sound as threatening as I wanted it to be.

"What do I want? Hah, you wanna know what I want? I want to teach you both a lesson," was the answer I got. A lesson?! I swear he is going to pay for this.

I took a step towards him, wanting to pound his face in for even stepping foot in this house, let alone putting a gun to Phoebe's head. The gun that was previously pointed at the floor was now raised and I froze immediately. As if on instinct, I raised both my hands showing I wasn't going to do anything.

"Don't move. Don't do anything stupid or I'll make you regret it," the man said with clenched teeth, showing that he wasn't messing around and would use the gun if prompted to.

I ran through some options in my head if I tried to seize the gun from him. He could kill me, or Phoebe, or both of us. He could shoot a warning shot at the wall to scare me into not doing anything. Or I could get the gun from him and this would all be over.

I doubt he will kill either of us, and I'm okay with a hole in my wall since I'm a villain and nothing scares me; well nothing besides the dark, and a few other things I've never admitted to, but you get my point.

I made my decision and charged toward the man. But the second I moved a shot went off.

I stopped dead in my tracks. I immediately covered my ears with my hands, trying to stop the ringing. The man was staring intently past me, with his gun in one hand by his side. I turned to see where he shot, and what he was looking at.

But that what was a who. And that who was my sister.

Sprawled on the ground.

With a growing pool of blood surrounding her.

"PHOEBE!" I screamed, tears coming to my eyes. I ran towards her and crouched down next to her.

Her face was scrunched in pain, tears streaming down her cheeks. After a closer look, I could see the bullet went into her leg, a few inches above her left knee. The seconds that followed while I stared in shock felt like hours. I didn't know what to do. I didn't even know if my sister was conscious.

Once I broke from my trance, I gently touched her shoulder. There was a slight twitch from her hand.

"Phoebe," I said very soothingly. "Phoebe, open your eyes." I didn't know what to say or do, so I started to run my hand up and down her arm. "C'mon, it's gonna be okay. You're gonna be okay."

Her eyes slightly cracked open and she looked up at me. "Max…" came her weak, pain filled voice.

"Hey, shh, I'm right here. You're gonna be okay." I went and gently wiped her tear streaked cheeks with the pads of my thumbs. I then pushed her hair back out of her face. She just stared back at me, her eyes bloodshot and puffy and showing she was in pain.

I hate seeing my twin in pain, and for a while I forgot that the man that caused this was still standing behind us in the room. And when he spoke, the anger I felt earlier turned to hatred.

"Well I hate to break up this cute moment but I have things planned that I need to take care of." I finally took my eyes away from Phoebe's and looked back at the man. All I wanted to do was kill him. He hurt my sister and he has to pay.

"I hope you will learn from this. That bullet could have been a kill shot instead of just the leg. Next time I really hope you listen to what I tell you, or it will be worse than just the leg."

I was staring daggers into him. I really wish looks could kill right now, because he would be six feet under. But I can't focus on what I'm going to do to him when I get a chance right now. I need to focus on Phoebe.

I know if I don't stop the bleeding she could lose too much and bleed out. I also know that she could get blood poisoning if the bullet stays in her flesh for too long. But I can't do anything about that right now but hope we get out of here soon. All I can do is try and stop the bleeding.

"I need to stop the bleeding," I said to the man. I don't know what his reaction will be, but I know I can't just start doing something without him knowing, since he proved that if I make a sudden move he will hurt us.

After the sentence left my mouth, I wanted so badly to jump up and smack the smirk that appeared right off his face.

He chuckled. "Well it's your lucky day. I need both of you alive for now."

I figured he meant I could get a shirt to tie around Phoebe's leg, so I went to stand up. The minute I moved, though, the man took a step towards me and said calmly and simply, "No. Get back down. Tell me what to grab."

I stared at him for a second. Then knelt back where I previously was and told him, "Right behind you in the chair. One of those shirts."

He smirked, glanced back, and walked backwards, keeping his eyes on me. I wasn't going to do anything though. I need to make sure Phoebe will be okay before I plan something.

I took my eyes off the man and looked back at my twin. She hadn't moved, still laying sprawled on the floor on her side, and had been watching me while my attention was on the man before us. I gave her a small smile and grabbed her hand before turning back to the man.

He had grabbed the top shirt, a black v-neck, and walked back to where he was standing. He tossed the shirt to me and I caught it with my open hand. Without wasting any more time, I turned my attention back to Phoebe, forgetting the man once again.

I gave her hand a squeeze and softly said to her, "I gotta stop your leg from bleeding. This might hurt a bit, but I need to do this." She stared at me a second, but then squeezed my hand back. I took that as a go ahead to help her.

I laid the shirt next to me and put my hands on her shoulders. I carefully turned her so she was laying on her back. I then moved so I was next to her bleeding leg and grabbed the shirt. I put my hand under her left knee and slightly lifted it up, just enough so I could slip the shirt under it. Phoebe had let out a soft groan when her leg moved and I looked at her with a sympathetic smile, but her eyes were closed again, most likely trying to block out the pain. I then glanced at the monster who did this, who was just staring at me with his arms crossed.

I went back to work. Realizing I needed to wrap the shirt around my twins leg twice, I quickly wrapped it over the wound and lifted her leg again and slid the shirt under for a second time. I needed to make sure the shirt was tight enough, but I didn't want to hurt Phoebe more, so I pulled the shirt as tight as I dared and tied it, making sure the knot was two or three inches away from the bullet hole.

Phoebe let out a louder, pain filled groan as I tied it off. Once I finished I wiped her blood onto my jeans and grabbed her hand in both of mine and soothingly said to her, "It's okay. I'm done. I'm done, you're gonna be okay."

She finally opened her eyes again and looked up at me, a few more tears escaping down her face. Before she could try and say anything, the man spoke up.

"Okay, now that that is done, let's get things moving." He reached into his back pocket and pulled out a piece of rope. He wasn't holding the gun anymore, so I assumed he put it in the waistband of his jeans. "Now, get the girl up and move her to the wall," he ordered and pointed to the back wall, which is easily visible when coming down the stairs.

I stared at him for a moment, as if silently asking him if he was serious. By the look he sent back at me, I could tell he was. My attention went back to Phoebe, and I was about to put my arms under her legs and back until she grabbed my arm, stopping me.

"No…" she started slowly. She tried propping herself up on an elbow, so I quickly put my hand on her back, helping her. She squeezed her eyes shut and let out a small whimper. She took a deep breath, opened her eyes and looked back at me. "No, help me walk over. You don't need to carry me."

I stared at her like she had two heads and told her, "It's easy for me to carry you, and it'll be easier for you."

The look in her bloodshot eyes told me she was serious, and I couldn't argue anymore after the man cleared his throat loudly, getting impatient.

I sighed, and grabbed Phoebe's arm with one hand and wrapped my other around her back, slowly helping her up. She stood on her right leg, with her arm around my shoulders and most of her weight leaning on me. I swear she's crazy for wanting to walk herself, especially since I thought she was going to pass out while I tried to stop her wound from bleeding. But I had no other choice. So now I helped her hop over to the wall, with her leaning to the right and having her left leg slightly bent so it didn't touch the ground at all. I kept a tight hold on her, because I was afraid she would end up falling over.

Slowly, we made our way over to the wall, with Phoebe only wincing occasionally. Once at the wall, I helped her turn and gently lowered her so she was sitting, legs out straight and leaning against the wall.

"Took long enough," the man grunted out. I turned to him and he threw the rope he had been holding at me. This time I didn't reach to catch it. It landed on the floor at my feet. "Tie your sisters arms behind her back," he instructed.

I gave him a look, but his menacing stare made me listen. I leaned down to grab the rope, then knelt next to my twin. "I'm sorry," I whispered to her. She just looked at me and nodded, putting her hands behind her back. She looked exhausted, and I don't blame her. It was already later at night in the first place and I can't even tell you how much time passed since all this started. Not to mention she was shot and that took a ton of energy out of her.

I took the rope and tied her hands together, trying to be gentle and not tie them that tight, but tight enough just in case the man checked. I looked back at where the man had been, but he was closer to us now, having moved silently through the room.

"Stand up," he ordered. I did. "Turn around so I can tie your hands." Once again, I did. The man pulled out another piece of rope and stepped right behind me.

I don't know what possessed me to do it, but without even thinking I went to jab the man with my elbow in the side, hoping to slow him down enough so I could take him down. As if he saw it coming, the man moved his arm down to block mine and shoved me hard into the wall. I grunted, and continued to struggle, trying to break free. It didn't work very well since the guy was pretty muscular, but I immediately stopped when there was a scream of pain next to me.

I looked to my left, down at Phoebe, and the man had his boot on her wound. Her face contorted, eyes shut, head against the wall, and breathing heavily, I could tell she was trying to block everything out, yet stay conscious.

I felt like breaking down right there. Whatever possessed me into trying to take the man down was completely gone now. And after a moment of me being still, the man removed his boot from my twins leg and tied my hands tightly together. After, he let me go and walked away.

I turned myself and watched the man walk towards the stairs. Right before he started walking up, he turned and looked at us for a moment. He finally stated, very simply, "Get comfortable. You're going to be here a while," then went up the stairs, leaving us trapped in my room.

I stood against the wall for a few moments, thinking about what all just happened. I was pulled from my thoughts by a strained voice calling my name. I slid down the wall and sat close to Phoebe.

"I'm sorry. It's my fault. All my fault. If my anger hadn't of gotten the best of me you wouldn't be hurt and we might have found a way out," I told her, blinking back my tears.

"Max, it's okay. It isn't your fault. He would have done this no matter what we would have done. I don't blame you," came her response. She could tell me that a million times, but I will always blame myself.

Phoebe leaned her head on my shoulder. Neither of us said anything for a while. I finally looked at one of the clocks in my room and it read 11:36 pm.

"It's pretty late. You should get some sleep," I said quietly, trying to keep my emotions in.

I leaned my head back against the wall as Phoebe said, "I don't know if I can. Every time I blink I see him again, holding the gun to my head and thinking about what could have happened."

"Hey, nothing's gonna happen again. I won't let it. I won't do anything stupid and I will figure out how to get us out of here. You're going to be okay. I'm gonna get you out of here and you're gonna get your leg patched up and that monster is going to jail. We're gonna be okay." I don't know if I was trying to comfort Phoebe or myself, but it seemed to work for both of us. I got an okay and a thanks from my twin, and after a while I felt her breathing even out.

As I was sitting there, Phoebe's head on my shoulder, trying to fall asleep, I was trying to figure out a way to get us out of here. Coming up blank, I thought about how stupid everything I did was. I was the reason my other half is hurt, in pain, with a hole in her leg. It's all my fault.

Waiting for sleep to overcome me, I finally let the tears fall.


	4. Chapter 4

I woke up with a pounding headache and a burning sensation running up my leg. I was very confused for a minute, then everything came back to me. The man, Max, the gun, pain.

I felt something move under my head, then I realized I was still leaning on Max, who must have noticed I woke up. I shifted, leaning my head back against the wall. The pounding in my head wouldn't go away and got stronger as the sleep wore off. I closed my eyes again, hoping to just disappear and not feel anything.

I could, though, feel Max's eyes staring at me as he asked, "Hey, how's your leg?"

"It feels like someone set it on fire," I mumbled back to him.

"Anything else hurt?" He asked.

"My head is pounding and feels like someone's repeatedly hitting it with a hammer." I wasn't up for talking, considering I could barely concentrate on anything other than the pain. But I have to at least try and push it aside to figure out what we are going to do.

"I'm sorry," Max starts. I know he still feels guilty for all of this, and no matter what I say I won't be able to convince him it isn't his fault. "I don't know how, or when, but I swear I will make up for this. I hate seeing you in pain and I would do anything to take your place."

Max went on and on. I couldn't focus very much as he kept rambling an apology to me. I finally opened my eyes after the fifth 'I'm sorry' and looked at him. He looked like he was about to cry, staring with a dazed look at the floor. I tried to get his attention, but he kept droning on. I really wish I could hit him right now.

Finally, he paused and looked at me, eyes tired, like he barely got any sleep last night. I don't blame him though, and I probably look worse than he does.

We silently stare at each other for a while, finding comfort in each others silence. Tears ended up coming back to my eyes. I can't even explain why, they just did. I laid my head back on my twins shoulder, glancing at his clock. 9:21 am is what it read.

"What are we going to do?" I asked him. There was no way of us getting out of here anytime soon, but we can't just stay down here forever. We'd end up starving to death within days.

"I don't know, but we are gonna get out of here. That psycho is gonna pay," Max answered, words tinged with hatred. He glanced down at me and asked in a softer voice, "What happened before he brought you down here, when you screamed?"

I sighed. "I heard a door slam when I was talking on my cell with Cherry and thought you were up to something, but I didn't see anything when I went to look. As I went back to my room I heard footsteps coming and thought it was you, but when I turned that man was standing there and I screamed. He locked us in my room and told me when you came up to tell you to go back to your room. Then he forced me to come down here, and here we are."

"Why didn't you use your powers to freeze him?" He asked, his tone going back to the annoying brother tone I've known all my life.

"I could ask you the same thing," I threw back at him, then realized it wouldn't be good to go into an argument while in this situation. I took a deep breathe and continued. "I froze. I forgot everything when I saw the gun and couldn't do anything."

"I was going to freeze him the minute you were away from him, but then he said about me being a villain and that stopped me. And after he shot you, I don't know. I could only think about helping you."

"What do you think he meant by calling you a villain? Do you think he actually knows?" There was a lot I didn't understand about what the man had said, and I'm sure Max was just as confused.

"I don't know. It seems like he knows a lot about us, so he might know about our powers, but how?" Yep, he was definitely thinking the same as me.

"And why is he doing this in the first place? Why'd he break in and is now keeping us hostage?" There are too many questions bouncing around in my head with no answers. This on top of the pain is making me light headed and dizzy. I started losing focus again, and I missed Max's answer.

I just realized how tired I was, even though I just woke up a little bit ago. Max must have noticed too, because I faintly heard him tell me to go back to sleep, and I did just that.

_This isn__'__t happening, this isn__'__t happening, this isn__'__t happening. No, it can__'__t, he can__'__t. Stop! Why is this happening?_

_ The coldness seeped through my shirt and numbed my back. This isn__'__t real. Nothing is going to happen and everything will go back to normal._

_ Normal. What does that even mean anymore?_

_ Five days. It__'__s been five days, and I don__'__t even know what normal is anymore._

_ "__Any last words?__" __The coldness in his voice makes my bones go cold._

_ "__Go to Hell!__" __came the response._

_ The coldness left my back, only to be replaced by a deafening ring, blackness, then silence and nothing. Until I opened my eyes. The silence was still there, suffocating me, but in front of me was a person laying in a heap on the ground._

_ Still. Not moving._

_ "__MAX!__"_

_ A strangled shout from somewhere in the room. No, that came from me. I couldn__'__t take my eyes off the sight in front of me._

_ My twin, with blood running out of his chest and onto his lair__'__s floor. No, this isn__'__t happening. He__'__s not dead. He__'__s fine. There is no one standing behind me with a weapon. I__'__m in my own room, and my brother is in his, planning another prank on me._

_ "__Say goodbye__…" __a sadistic voice, followed by a loud BANG._

_ Coldness, coming from the floor that I__'__m now laying on._

_ "__Phoebe__…"_

_ No, he__'__s dead. Gone. How is he still calling me?_

_ "__Phoebe__…__Phoebe!__"_

_ It__'__s getting louder__…__and then__…__and then__…_

"Phoebe!"

I jolted awake, my heartbeat racing and breathing heavily. I was drenched in a cold sweat, tears running down my face.

"It's okay, your fine. It was just a nightmare, that's all. You're gonna be fine," Max tried to calm me down, but after what I just dreamt I doubt I'll be calm anytime soon.

I could tell all Max wanted to do was wrap me in a hug and make my worries disappear, just like when we were younger and before he decided to become a villain. He was pulling on his restraint, trying to break free, but to no avail. He was probably getting rope burn, but he most likely didn't care.

Tears kept streaming down my face as I kept seeing the nightmare over and over in my head. It was just too real.

I was shaking. I couldn't think straight. _What if that__'__s going to happen? What if we don__'__t make it out, and we are left to die here? What if no one finds us? What if__…_

I was having a panic attack. My thoughts were racing, tears were streaming down my face, and I was shaking uncontrollably. My breaths were ragged as I started hyperventilating. I just couldn't help it.

I could see Max shift, turning to face me as he sat on his knees next to me. "Phoebe, calm down. You're fine, you're gonna be okay. Just take deep breaths and relax. Come on," Max was trying not to freak out. I was trying to do as he said and relax, but it was impossible. I couldn't focus on anything but the what ifs running through my brain. Max kept talking to me, pleading me to calm down, but his pleas fell on deaf ears. I couldn't focus on him.

Finally, my thoughts muted themselves. I focused on my breathing. _In, out. In, out._ Deep breaths. _In, out. In, out._

My hyperventilating died down. Now it was just shaky breaths coming out of my mouth. The tears subsided and my heartbeat wasn't racing as bad.

Max calmed down as well, letting out a long sigh and hanging his head.

Once I could think straight and was breathing semi-normally, I leaned my head back against the wall and closed my eyes, but immediately snapped them back open when I saw Max lying on the ground with blood pooling out of him.

"Sorry," I breathed out. I don't know exactly what to do or say now, so I wait for Max's reaction.

"Do you, uh, wanna talk about that?" he asked, referring to my nightmare/freakout. I shook my head no. The last thing I wanted to do was tell him I dreamt he died right in front of me.

Max had looked at me for a second, probably trying to decide if he should push me to talk or just let it go. After a minute, he shifted back so he was sitting in the same spot next to me as he previously was.

Hours passed of us just sitting in silence. Max had initially tried talking to me but gave up after I continuously just ignored him. I couldn't get the thought of him dying out of my head.

Somehow I ended up dozing off because I woke up to Max elbowing me lightly in the side. As the sleep wore off, I looked over at him. He was staring at the staircase twenty feet in front of us. I jerked my head towards the stairs and listened to the soft creaks from the steps as someone came walking down. I subconsciously cowered and leaned as far into the wall and my twins side as I could when I saw the man's face. Last nights events came back to me for the millionth time as I pictured him pulling the trigger again and the immediate pain that came after.

Now, though, the gun was no where in sight. Instead, he carried with him two granola bars and two bottles of water. He had a smirk on his face as he walked closer to us. I was confused, and I'm sure my twin was too, as we watched him set down what he brought at our feet, then rolled over Max's desk chair and sat down in front of us.

I was terrified of the man, and when I glanced over at Max, he looked ready to explode with anger.

"I'm sure you're both wondering why I did this and why I'm keeping you trapped here. And in due time you will find out," he spoke with an indescribable tone to his voice. "But for now, all you need to know is my plan is coming together marvelously, aside from one setback."

He paused and looked at both of us. I leaned further into Max's side, trying to find comfort from being as close to him as possible.

"Just tell us what you want from us," Max growled out. The man just laughed at him.

"What do I want from you two? I want you to know what happens when a prank goes wrong. I want you to feel the same pain that I had to go through when I was your age. But I also want to know how you get your powers," he responded, almost amused as he explained.

I looked at Max and could tell he was thinking the exact same thing I was: how does this man know we have powers?

"Powers? What do you mean?" Max asked, acting like he didn't know what the man was talking about.

"Oh don't play dumb with me. You know exactly what I mean. Ice and heat breath and telekinesis, the little girl has laser-vision, the boy has super speed, your mother can produce electricity, and your father has super strength. You really believe I don't know what you're capable of? By the way, this 'lair' doesn't look the same as it used to. Did you remodel, or were you just able to hide everything because you thought one of your sisters friends were coming over?"

That just made me even more confused. My head is still pounding and I'm getting dizzier by the second. It was getting harder to stay awake, but I forced my eyes to stay open until after this man was away from us.

Upon Max's hesitation to answer, the man chuckled again and continued. "So how do you get your powers?" After still being ignored, the man's features turned to anger. "Answer me!" he roared.

I jumped, now more terrified, and I could feel Max tense up even more next to me.

"Why do you wanna know?" Max threw back at him.

"Do you really want to test me again?" the man retorted.

Max considered it, then gave in and said, "We were born with our powers and have had them ever since."

The man just looked between Max and me for a moment, then smirked again. He got up from the chair, pushed it away, and moved to the left side of Max. I think he was telling my twin something, but I couldn't hear. I could barely focus of anything anymore.

I felt the man pull on my tied wrists, and I felt Max's hand and another rope hit my hands. The new rope was pulled tight, and I couldn't keep my eyes open any more. I could tell the man said something else, but again couldn't make out what was said.

I faintly heard footsteps retreating back upstairs and the door slam shut. It took all the energy I had left to crack my eyes back open. Max had his left arm free, and he moved to wrap me in a hug. As much as Max and I fight with each other, I was so glad he could finally hug me, even if it was an awkward, one handed side hug. After last night and today, that's exactly what I needed though.

"Here," Max said once he pulled away. He cracked open one of the bottles of water, keeping it between his knees as he opened it, and put it up to my mouth. I took a few sips and rested my head back on his shoulder.

I felt him shift to set the bottle back down and then lean back into the wall. "Your leg still on fire?" he asked.

"Not as bad, it's kinda just a throb now," I mumbled back.

Max was saying something else, but I gave in to my heavy eyelids. I felt him push my hair behind my ear and lightly kiss the top of my head before I succumbed to the nightmares once more.


	5. Chapter 5

It's been two days since the man last came down here. Two days since we last had food and water. Two days of still being trapped here, no way of getting out. Two days, and Phoebe has gotten worse.

The nightmares happen every time she sleeps. Each time she wakes up in a cold sweat, breathing really heavily, and sometimes screaming. And each time, she will refuse to talk about it. It wouldn't be so bad either if she wasn't constantly exhausted. And to top it off, I think Phoebe is getting sick. She's always either shivering or sweating and has gotten a lot paler in these three days of being trapped.

I had tried to check her wound as well, but I couldn't get the makeshift tourniquet off easily with one hand, and Phoebe let out an ear splitting shriek when I tried. It surprised me the man never came down after her scream.

I have still been trying to think of a way out of here, but am coming up empty. I only have three ideas: take down the man, climb out my window, or wait until the rest of our family gets back from the trip to our aunts. The first I would be risking my twin's life and my own, but to even try I would need my other hand free. I would also need my hand free for the second, and I don't know how I would get Phoebe out. That leaves waiting for the family to get back, which should be in four more days, but who knows what they are going to be able to do.

I was drawn out of my thoughts by a loud bang from above us. Phoebe jolted awake beside me, the noise enough to pull her from another fitful sleep.

She groaned, then asked, "What do you think he's doing up there?"

"I don't know, but it can't be good," I replied.

"We need to get out of here soon," Phoebe said. Her voice is soft and weak, and she waited a long while until continuing. "Do you think Mom and Dad know about this?"

I thought about it, then sighed. "I don't know. They had to have called the house to check on us…" I drifted as I started thinking. I never heard the phone ring, since they would have to call the house phone because the video chat got disabled when I hit the security system button.

"Uhh Max…?" Phoebe nudged me in the side, and I once again got pulled out of my thoughts.

"He must have pulled out the phone cable. I haven't heard the phone, so he had to have disabled it," I told her what I realized, and as I was saying it I figured out something else. "Where's your cell phone? You said you were talking to Cherry so where did you put your cell phone?" I asked, figuring if she had her's on her it would be easier than trying to get mine. I don't know why I didn't think about it sooner though.

I looked at Phoebe when she didn't answer, and she had her eyebrows furrowed in thought. Her facial features then drop, and she leans her head back against the wall. "I threw it on my bed after I hung up with Cherry."

I didn't respond. Instead, I closed my eyes and hung my head, trying to come up with a way to reach my own cell phone that I think is under my pillows, on the other end of the room. "Okay, we just need to figure out how to get out of the rope," I said eventually. "After that, we can call Mom and Dad and figure out how to get out—" I was cut off by the door swinging open and heavy footsteps thudding down the stairs.

I looked up and watched the man make his way toward us. He seemed really ticked off, but once he took a seat in front of us in my chair, he cracked a twisted, malevolent smile.

"I figured you two would be quite pleased to know that I have almost finished my plan. And since I am a better villain than most, I won't make the mistake of telling you what that plan is."

Neither of us moved. We didn't know what he wanted from us or why he keeps vaguely telling us stuff.

Before he continued, his evil smile faltered, turning more into a grimace than anything. "But I guess now would be the time to explain why. Why did I do this? Why you two? Well, I chose you two because you're exactly like I was. And because I needed revenge on your father."

"What do you mean?" I asked him. He needs to stop being so vague with what he says. He just lets me with more questions than I had to start with.

I watched him with curious eyes as he stood, pushed the chair away, and paced in front of us.

"You two don't realize how lucky you are to have a family. I was the second oldest of five kids without a mother, and a father who couldn't care less if we beat the crap out of each other. I was only close to my older twin sister. Our father was rarely home, and when he was he locked himself in his bedroom doing God knows what.

"My twin and I would always pull pranks on the younger three when they were young, but they were always harmless; like duck taping all of their things together or putting Orajel on their toothbrushes so their mouth would become numb. But when they got older the pranks became slightly more dangerous, but no one got too hurt. That is until they plotted revenge on us.

"You see, by the time my twin and I were sixteen and the youngest was ten, we found out about these strange abilities. Just like your family, we could do things normal people couldn't. They came from no where. And once we had them, our siblings came up with a plan for revenge from all the years of pranking."

The man stopped pacing for a minute, and I tried to process everything he said. I still don't see how it relates to Phoebe and me.

Just then, the man turned to us, with his hands clenched into fists, and his expression turned from sad to angry. When he continued talking, his voiced was laced with hatred. "They used their newly found powers to assist them with their revenge. But it didn't go as they thought it would.

"Instead of just scaring my twin and me, their powers got all wacky. Before anything could be done to stop the 'prank,' my twin ended up unconscious and put in a coma, and ended up dying.

"I never forgave my other siblings. They took away the one person I truly cared for, the only one that actually understood me. I separated myself from the rest of my 'family.' I became depressed, rarely spoke, and spent my days in my room wondering what was left to live for. I realized there wasn't anything left, but the night I realized that my youngest brother came to talk to me.

"I had initially tried to push him out of my room, but he talked me into siding with him. He said he tried to prevent the 'prank' from even happening but was ignored. He was the only one I ever forgave. But that's where my revenge for your father comes in.

"I had become close to my youngest brother. As the years went by, my mysterious powers faded out, but my brothers stayed strong. We both aspired to be villains since our oldest sister died. We became partners in crime—him with powers and me without. My lack of powers didn't stop us from becoming the most dangerous villains of the time. That is, until my brother was caught by your father."

I was more even confused now. I can understand that he would be mad about Dad capturing his evil brother, but why did he tell us about how his sister died? Why had he taken his anger out on Phoebe and me? One would think he wouldn't want to see anyone else get hurt after his sister died, but instead he had shot Phoebe.

"I hope you two understand the importance of this and can now understand the reason this fate has come upon you," the man said, before glaring at both of us and then turning on his heel to walk back upstairs.

As he was going up the steps, he paused, turned, and remarked, "Oh, and by the way. My name is Jackson. Jackson Colosso." And with that, he turned back and slammed the door.


End file.
